’Tis the season for Mulled Wine, and every country has a different take on this warm, wintery libation. Ours is inspired by the Scandinavian version, known as Glögg. It is traditionally served with slivered almonds and raisins which are scooped out of the mug as the drink comes to an end. Drink, scoop, refill, repeat for optimal merriment!
Ingredients: (serves a party!)
2 bottles of red wine
1 bottle of ruby port
Strips of peel of one orange, use a vegetable peeler
4 cinnamon sticks
8 whole cloves
6 peppercorns
1 star anise
6 slices of peeled, fresh ginger, about 1/8 of an inch each)
1 cup brandy, plus more to taste
1 cup sugar
Optional add-ins:
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup slivered almonds
In a large pan, combine the wine, port, orange peel, cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorns, star anise and ginger until the mixture starts to simmer, then lower the heat and cover the pan.
In another pan over a medium heat, add 1 cup of brandy and the sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then simmer until the mixture turns a little syrupy, around 20 minutes. Add this to the mulled wine, and taste to see if you need to add more brandy. When you are happy with the flavor, take it off the heat and strain out the spices. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks, this will get even better over time!
To re-heat, return to a pan, cover, and keep the heat low. You don’t want it to boil as the alcohol will evaporate! Serve in mugs or heat-proof glasses with almonds, raisins and a little spoon.
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